Scholars date back the start of modern dermatology to November first of the year 1801, with St Louis hospital in France being turned into an exclusively dermatological hospital; which was the catalyst for the rapid interest in dermatology in France at the time. The hospital was a centre for dermatological studies and with its success, it kindled the establishment of other centres in Paris.

Physician Jean-Louis Alibert (1736-1837) was made physician in 1803, It is thought that he was responsible for making St Louis Hospital a hospital for skin diseases, due to his high social status.

In 1816, Laurent Théodore Biett, was put in charge of the out-patient department of St Louis Hospital, where he made many advances in the field such as creating the Asiatic pill and protiodide and biniodide of mercury for the treatment of syphilis.

He also taught the next generation of French dermatologists whom will take over in the next half of the century. Some of which are Cazenave, Gibert, Devergie, and Bazin whose contributions range from adding to the knowledge of tuberculosis at the time, to the treatment of scabies. At that period, the development of modern clinical dermatology was a fact of the first importance in modern clinical dermatology.

Written by: Abdulaziz Mohammed Alqahtani, Medical Student

Reference:

Pusey, William. (1933). The History of Dermatology. (first edition).